A BBC weather forecast has warned snow storms are severe enough to potentially cause "loss of life" after a red weather warning was issued by the Met Office for eastern-Wales and south-west England.

A clash between the Beast from the East and Storm Emma caused the Met Office to issue a red weather warning for south-west England and eastern-Wales on Thursday.

BBC weather forecaster Louise Lear said snow showers on Friday will be severe enough to cause potential "loss of life" in the affected areas of the UK.

Ms Lear said: “Today could be a record-breaking day in terms of the coldest March day.

“Looking in the south-west you can see snow that is starting to arrive now, blizzard-like conditions, that’s where we’ve got a red weather warning.

“Elsewhere we’ve got amber still remaining in force with those snow showers coming in across eastern-Scotland and north-east England.

BBC

BBC weather forecast: Snow severe enough to cause 'loss of life'

“We’ve also got another amber warning for parts of Northern Ireland, but if we move further south for the second consecutive day we have a red warning.

“The top tier that has been issued by the Met Office. This means take action. This means there is the potential for the weather to be severe enough maybe for the loss of life, so you really need to take note.

“Blizzard conditions driving in across the Channel into the south-west and up into Wales.

“We could see as much as 20cm or maybe more, maybe as much as 50cm before the system clears through.”

This means there is the potential for the weather to be severe enough maybe for the loss of life

Louise Lear

A red warning issued for Scotland on Wednesday was subsequently downgraded to an amber warning by the Met Office on Thursday.

But Ms Lear warned that despite weather conditions improving in the northern parts of the UK, snow showers will continue to hit the whole country on Friday.

She said: “Overnight we still got those snow showers across eastern-Scotland, although you’ve lost your red weather warning, still those snow showers are going to be driven along by this easterly wind.

“A grey, bleak, cold start to Friday morning.”

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Thu, March 1, 2018

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The Met Office warned new snow showers throughout Thursday evening and Friday morning could add to the heaps of snow that have accumulated over the past few days – potentially cutting off entire villages and cutting power.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said: "Through this afternoon and overnight we are particularly concerned about parts of the south-west of England into parts of Somerset, up towards parts of South Wales.

"Across this area 10-20cm of snow is likely, maybe as much as 40cm, possibly even 50cm on the hills but it’s going to be almost impossible to measure it because of the strength of the wind. Gusty winds blowing that snow around means blizzards. Dangerous travelling conditions.

"Power cuts, villages getting cut off: those kinds of things are expected to happen certainly in the red area and possibly in the amber area as well."